What To Do When Life Gets Hard and Ruthless- 15 Crucial Survival Tips!
It can be tough to get through the day when your life gets hard. Everything seems like an uphill struggle, and you may feel like you’re fighting a losing battle.
But don’t worry! The truth is that life happens to everybody. Everyone has a different set of challenges to face, some personal and some global. With so many global issues like the recent pandemic, the current economic downfall, unemployment, violence, and wars, it can get a bit overwhelming to stay sane and composed all the time.
It’s important to realize in these states of events that sooner or later, everyone has to make difficult choices to take care of things, not under their control. You can sail the unchartered sea of hardship with better planning and strategy.
You might be feeling down and depressed and thinking that you’ll never get out of hard situations. But rest assured that some things are for the better, and with a little perseverance everything will be okay!
So let’s dive into the 15 essential survival tips that will help you move forward when life gets tough.
15 Vital Tips to Move Forward When Life Gets Hard
Getting up and moving forward every day takes quite some effort. Even if we get started, it’s difficult to keep going when life gets hard and we aren’t motivated.
But when we overcome this hurdle and set on a path of continuous self-development, we gain momentum and create a snowball effect of positivity.
Following these strategies will help you achieve this exactly and get you where you want to be when life gets hard.
1. Stay Positive and Persistent
The most important thing when life gets hard is to stay positive and keep going. Even when it feels like everything is against you, remember that you’re strong and capable and can make it through anything life throws your way.
According to research, people with a positive mindset cannot only navigate through life when it gets hard but also have reduced anxiety levels and a good sense of well-being.
So when you are having a hard time, just keep your head up and keep moving forward. You’ll pass through this phase eventually.
2. Accept The Situation:
While most people use denial as a coping mechanism, practicing acceptance at odd times can be more beneficial since it helps you adapt to your new situation, stops you from making excuses, and helps you heal.
Accept the new circumstances. Change is bound to happen. You can’t control change but you can control your emotions and conduct in tackling the hard situation. While it can be tough and draining, only you are your savior, and the sooner you accept this fact, the better it is for yourself.
3. Take Charge of the Controllable
The world is ever-changing, and there is only so much you can do to control the things around you. The only constant in this word is “change.” And no matter how hard you try, you can’t run away from it.
It can be really hard for us to change things in hard times when they aren’t going in our favor. When we try to zero in and establish full control over our situation, it can do more harm than good.
The best strategy in such a situation is to let go of things out of your control and focus on things you can control. This includes your reactions to any given situation and your future choices. Doing so will help you do your best when life gets hard.
4. Talk to People
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. In fact, it takes a strong person to reach out when life gets hard.
It can be challenging to admit that we need assistance, but sometimes we all need a little boost. Having good social support drastically improves your mental health and helps you easily overcome hard times.
Whether it’s a shoulder to cry on or help with a project, our friends and family are often more than willing to lend a hand. So next time you feel overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to ask for help from those who care about you.
5. Avoid Negative Influences
Keep people around you who are good listeners and can provide valuable advice. Keeping rude, negative, and toxic people in your life will only drag you down and make you more stressed.
If you want to stay positive when life gets hard, being with people who do not dim your light is imperative.
6. Draw Inspiration From Others
It can be easy to feel alone and isolated like you are the only one facing a particular challenge in life. However, it is important to remember that everyone has his fair share of life’s challenges.
And only the people who remain steadfast in these trying times become the successful ones. There are countless examples of such personalities, and you can find them everywhere.
Drawing inspiration from them can help you find the strength to do the same. Read and sit with those who have faced similar obstacles and triumphed in times of doubt.
Visualize yourself in their shoes and imagine how they might have felt. What would they say to you if they were in your position?
Use their story as motivation to keep going, even when the road ahead seems complicated. Remember, if they can do it, so can you.
7. Find Time For Relaxation
Relaxing your mind and body is a must. Especially when you are stressed out. But we often forget to do so when life gets hard, and we are stuck in problems.
To clear your mind of all the stress, just sit back and do what makes you happy. And there are plenty of ways to unwind yourself. Anything that brings you joy and makes you feel refreshed should be tried.
It could be reading your favorite book, taking a long walk in nature, or listening to calming music. Exercising is one way to calm your body and mind. You could also spend time making food and eating healthy to divert your attention. Whatever it is, make sure to take time out for yourself every day.
This will give you the confidence to make decisions that will help you cope better when life gets hard.
8. Practice Effective Goal Setting
It’s rightly said that:
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
This is especially true when it comes to creating plans and setting effective goals to change your difficult situation.
Making a smarter plan gives you something to focus on and work towards, even when times are hard. It also lets you track your progress and see how far you’ve come.
So when the going gets tough, remember to stay focused on your plan. And eventually, you’ll be in a better position in the future.
9. Do Something You’re Passionate About
It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind and lose sight of your passions and goals. One of the hardest things you can deal with is the feeling of not doing what you’re meant to be doing.
But if you want to be truly happy, even when life gets hard, it’s important to do something you’re passionate about.
It doesn’t matter what it is that you’re passionate about. It could be a hobby, a cause, or anything else that brings joy into your life.
What matters is finding something that makes you feel alive and excited. Having something to look forward to makes even the mundane parts of life more bearable.
And when you’re working towards a goal that you’re passionate about, even the most demanding days are worth it.
10. Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself
You are going to make mistakes. You are going to mess up. And that’s perfectly okay. What matters is that you learn from your mistakes and keep going even if life gets hard.
The important thing is not to dwell on your mistakes or let them define you. Instead, use them as learning experiences and move on.
Life is tough, but you are tougher. You can handle anything that comes your way, so don’t beat yourself up when things don’t go perfectly. It’s your reaction and what you do afterward that counts.
11. Be Open to New Opportunities
Despite all the trials and tribulations we face, it’s important to keep our minds open to new possibilities.
After all, life is constantly changing, and what might seem impossible today could be a reality tomorrow.
So don’t just throw in the towel on these menial hardships of life. Having a scarcity mindset will lead you nowhere except disappointment.
Instead, adopt a mentality of abundance. There is plenty of fish for everybody. If something’s not working out, try changing your approach.
If you lost a job, search for another. It might be the new one is better than before. Or you might think of starting a small business that might change the course of your life.
The world is abundant with opportunities. Who knows what you might achieve if you keep your mind open to new possibilities?
12. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Everyone is well aware of the age-old saying that.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Even though we agree with this saying whenever we come across it, how many of us have internalized this wisdom?
There are countless ways you can compare yourself to others. It can either be their jobs, businesses, income, lifestyle, grades and whatnot. Doing so will definitely put you on the fast track to unhappiness and misery.
When you compare your 10 to another person’s 100, you are downplaying yourself and are not looking at the whole picture.
Maybe the other person had struggles that you weren’t aware of. Maybe they have spend a lot of their time in picking themselves up when life gets hard for them. Maybe they only got their breakthrough recently.
Countless variables define a person’s success, and a fixed standard can’t be used for all of them.
So instead of comparing yourself with others, compare yourself to the previous version of yourself. Just focus on bettering yourself by 1% each day. And with time, you’ll notice how far you have come.
13. There are No Failures, Only Lessons
It is often said that we learn more from our failures than we do from our successes. While this may be true, it is important to remember that there are no failures, only lessons.
Every time we stumble when life gets tough, we have an opportunity to get back up and try again.
And each time we do, we become a little bit stronger and a little bit wiser. So instead of seeing failures as roadblocks, see them as stepping stones on the path to success.
Embrace them as opportunities to learn and grow. And never forget that even the biggest failure is only a lesson if you choose to see it that way.
14. Things Will Change For The Better Again Soon
It’s natural to feel down when things aren’t going how you want them to. You may be facing some tough challenges. Or maybe you’re just in a negative space. Whatever the reason, it’s important to remember that things can and will change for the better.
It might not happen overnight, but eventually, the sun will start shining again. So don’t give up hope – things will get better. And when they do, you’ll be even stronger for having gone through the tough times.
15. Not getting What You Want Can Be a Blessing
It’s easy to get caught up in the what-ifs of life. What if I had gotten that job? What if I had taken that trip? What if I had made that different decision?
But the truth is not getting what we want can often be a blessing in disguise. It opens us up to a world of new opportunities and experiences that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
It can challenge us to grow in ways we never thought possible. And it can remind us that the best things in life often come when we least expect them.
So next time you don’t get what you want, take a deep breath and trust that everything happens for a reason. Who knows? That thing you’ve been waiting for might be right around the corner.
Final Words
So, in conclusion, even when your life gets hard, never lose patience and keep on treading slowly like the turtle. These survival tips are evidence of that. They come from people who have faced difficult life challenges and overcame them.
If you’re willing to put in the effort, then acting on the above strategies will help you make it through anything life throws your way. This separates people who are successful in life and those who aren’t.
So what are you waiting for? Start implementing today and see how much your life improves!